Late Ming Dynasty: So what if Emperor Chongzhen was inactive?!

Chapter 111 He nodded vigorously, repeatedly agreeing, urging others to avoid arrogance and impetuosity, and to abstain from alcohol!
"Teacher! Teacher! Please tell me about the battle to quell the enemy at the Xuanda border!" Sun Shiwan said, clinging to Qin Liangyu's arm.

Qin Liangyu couldn't help but smile. Although she was initially tricked into becoming a teacher by the emperor and the little fox Wanwan, she had fallen in love with Wanwan after spending time with her.

She only had one son, but now it felt like she had gained a daughter, which was quite amusing. Every time Qin Liangyu saw Wanwan, her mood would improve considerably.

However, Qin Liangyu still sighed and said, "Although His Majesty appointed me as the commander-in-chief in this battle, I didn't actually play a significant role. I also have many questions about this battle. I will explain the details of the battle to you, but right now I have a few questions to ask you."

"Teacher, please feel free to ask any questions. I will answer them to the best of my knowledge!" Sun Shiwan wrinkled his nose slightly and said.

"Has Your Majesty recently taken on many more concubines?" Qin Liangyu asked in a low voice, her expression somewhat serious.

For some reason, looking into Qin Liangyu's eyes, Sun Shiwan couldn't help but feel a strange sensation rising within her, though she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Suppressing this unease, she said, "Indeed, His Majesty has recently taken nine more concubines."

Qin Liangyu was also extremely frustrated. She wanted to ask Sun Shiwan, "Aren't you sad or upset?" But she knew that it was inappropriate to ask such a question. For a moment, she was speechless and could only say indifferently, "Although the emperor is in his prime and full of vigor, he should also exercise restraint in matters of men and women and should take care of his health."

Sun Shiwan looked at Qin Liangyu with some curiosity and said, "Actually, His Majesty's intention was to form a marriage alliance with a minister, not entirely for the sake of women."

“I have met your father. He is indeed a genius,” Qin Liangyu suddenly said.

Sun Shiwan nodded. She had free access to the memorials, so she was naturally aware of this news. She also knew that her father was still staying in the capital, and given the emperor's temperament, he would definitely invite her to the palace for a big meal before he left, so that they could see each other again. However, her master's words were somewhat incoherent, and he was changing the subject.

“Master, please speak frankly.” Sun Shiwan said softly.

The old lady's face scrunched up, but she finally couldn't help but speak up: "His Majesty has added so many people to the harem now, will he neglect you because of this? Don't blame me for being nosy, I'm just... just worried about you, afraid that you will be wronged."

Sun Shiwan was taken aback upon hearing this, a warm feeling washing over her. She hugged Qin Liangyu tighter and said, "His Majesty is very good to me, he hasn't neglected me at all, he's even been too good to me, which has made the Empress a little unhappy. But Sister Zhou is kind-hearted and hasn't made things difficult for me either. As for His Majesty's health, in my opinion, he is still very 'vigorous,' Master, you're overthinking it."

After speaking, Sun Shiwan's face turned bright red. Qin Liangyu, being an experienced woman, quickly understood and her eyes narrowed. She took Sun Shiwan's hand and patted it, admonishing, "It's true that it's easy to feel restless during pregnancy, but you must be restrained, and be careful not to put pressure on your belly. I've heard that royal rules are different from those of commoners..."

"Stop talking, teacher, please stop talking!" Sun Shiwan couldn't stand the old lady's unrestrained manner and said in a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz, "His Majesty doesn't have these rules, so I can also be on top."

The young girl was shy, and Qin Liangyu understood. She said softly, "It's good that you know what you're doing." Then she stopped making things difficult for Sun Shiwan.

"Wanwan, Wanwan?! Are you upstairs? I heard General Qin has arrived?!" Just then, Zhu Youjian's voice came from downstairs, breaking the awkward atmosphere between the two.

Qin Liangyu came down from the pavilion first. She was at a loss, unsure how to greet His Majesty in the stairwell. Would it be inappropriate to look down at him from her elevated position? Sun Shiwan followed her downstairs.

The East Warm Pavilion is over 100 square meters and is divided into several areas by wooden partitions: there is a kang bed, a regular wooden bed, a bookshelf and desk, and a side room for servants and palace maids.

The upper attic was smaller than the lower one, about 70% of the area. It had windows but no corridor, and the lighting was fairly good. Zhu Youjian preferred to sleep upstairs. When it was cold, he would heat the kang (a heated brick bed) downstairs. Winters were tough, and he couldn't sleep without the heating on.

"General Qin, you've come at the perfect time! Tell me about the campaign to quell the enemy at the Xuanda border!" Zhu Youjian said impatiently.

Qin Liangyu was speechless upon hearing this. She looked at the emperor, then at her apprentice, and became angry, thinking, "Fine! You two are in cahoots again, aren't you? I know I'm an outsider, is that enough?"

Zhu Youjian, unaware of Qin Liangyu's thoughts, continued, "Although I have read the memorials and battle reports, they are ultimately not as clear as your own explanation as that of the commander-in-chief. I intend to hold a palace examination for military officers, and I have asked Minister Zhu to draft the examination criteria, but he is struggling with this. In the past, the military examination tested three skills: horsemanship and archery, foot archery, and martial prowess, as well as strategy and military tactics. However, Minister Zhu says that with the changes on the battlefield, individual bravery plays an increasingly smaller role. During the Wanli era, some court officials petitioned to add skills such as camp formations, landmines, gunpowder, and chariots to the existing examinations of horsemanship, foot archery, spear, sword, halberd, and hand-to-hand combat, but this was not approved."

I wish to reform the system, but I feel that simply adding new subjects would create too many items, and no one is a jack-of-all-trades; being broad in knowledge but not in expertise is difficult. If I were to reduce the existing subjects, I would not know how to decide. I believe that the purpose of the military examination is to cultivate talent for the battlefield, and the opinions of you, the generals with practical experience, are of utmost importance. Therefore, I request that General Qin explain the military situation to me and offer some advice.

Qin Liangyu remained silent for a long time before speaking, "Grand Secretary Zhu is deeply knowledgeable about military affairs, even more so than I am. If he cannot make a decision on this problem, I cannot come up with a complete solution for the time being. However, since Your Majesty has entrusted me with this task, I will do my best. I hope Your Majesty will allow me to first analyze the gains and losses of this battle!"
In my observation, the Northern Barbarians were defeated. Ligdan Khan commanded tens of thousands of troops, with strong horses and powerful bows, yet they were ultimately routed by our army. This was not due to the weakness of their soldiers, but rather to the decay of their military system. Its flaws were threefold:
Firstly, their firearms were ineffective, making it difficult to control their bows and arrows. Although the northern barbarians possessed a small number of firearms, they lacked formations and coordination, and their sporadic firing was less convenient than that of bows and arrows, ultimately rendering them useless. In contrast, our army's wagon battalion unleashed a barrage of firearms, the sound of which was like thunder. This was not something that individual bravery could withstand, but rather the principle that "when ten thousand guns fire in unison, the momentum is unstoppable."

Secondly, the Northern barbarian army still followed old practices, and their battle formations were completely disorganized. Although they had abandoned the outdated custom of "bringing their families along," they still relied on brute force to charge into battle. When they encountered our wagon camps and fortifications, it was like a tide crashing against a reef, resulting in nothing but corpses and casualties. Their troops were fragmented and poorly coordinated, demonstrating a complete lack of order in their deployment. They relied entirely on the intimidation and coercion of their leaders and were not a true army.

Thirdly, their resolve is weak, and defeat will lead to a complete rout. Seeing our elite cavalry charge, they assume our entire army is formidable; encountering our wagons, they immediately cower and retreat. In the midst of their rout, they trample each other and kneel in surrender. This is not a lack of courage or fighting spirit, but rather a lack of understanding of why they fight; they gather only for profit, and when that profit is gone, they collapse.

A re-examination of our army's mistakes reveals that, despite the victory, we should remain vigilant. Our victory stemmed from 'rapid reinforcements, solid formations, and concentrated firepower,' but a deeper examination also reveals underlying flaws. If these flaws are not addressed, we risk repeating past mistakes.
Firstly, the border troops and garrison troops are out of balance in terms of elite forces, and the agricultural troops are exhausted. The elite cavalry of Yansui are gradually becoming arrogant. Although the series of victories are great achievements, the courage to "charge head-on with the enemy" also hides the danger of underestimating the enemy.

Today, relying on the bravery of our cavalry and neglecting formation, we risk becoming a lone, reckless force if we encounter a powerful enemy surrounded by firearms in the future. We must strictly enforce military discipline, reiterate the principle of "not being arrogant in victory, nor discouraged in defeat," and further strengthen the coordination between chariot and battalion forces to hone their skills and improve their stability.

The soldiers in the garrisons and outposts still suffer from long-standing problems accumulated during times of peace. Although they are the elite troops of their respective garrisons, they have not changed their habit of prioritizing farming over training. Compared to the border troops, their equipment is inferior and their marching is disorganized.

If we rely entirely on the garrison troops in this battle, we may not be able to withstand the northern barbarians' arrow rain. We should follow Qi Jiguang's method of "reducing the number of soldiers and training their skills," weeding out the old and weak and focusing on specialized training. Furthermore, we need to use rapid training techniques for firearms to compensate for their lack of hand-to-hand combat skills.

Secondly, the chariot-based firearms were not yet fully developed, and their deployment was still hampered. The chariot formation had defensive weaknesses and was vulnerable to three-dimensional attacks. Although the main and side chariots could withstand enemies on a flat surface, they were helpless against arrows and stones from the high walls.

This is not the fault of the wagon camp, but rather the lack of proper design. We should emulate the Western bastion model and add 'upward firing ports' to the wagon formation, or equip it with lightweight artillery to attack higher ground.

Due to limited financial resources, our firearms cannot match the scale of Yu Dayou's "Ten Thousand Formations" strategy. Yu Dayou envisioned a coordinated force of 100,000 troops, with wagon and infantry battalions complementing each other. However, our current wagon battalion numbers only six or seven thousand, and the number of artillery pieces is also limited.

It's not that we don't want to expand, but rather that the national treasury is in dire straits. We should consider strategies to enrich the country and strengthen the military, such as establishing military farms and workshops in border towns to manufacture firearms and provide sufficient food and supplies, thus solving the problem of being "poor and having a small army."

Thirdly, the coordination among various armies is crucial, as rewards and punishments can be subjective, and overall command must be unified. Friendly forces, though arriving, often arrive at inconsistent times. Sun Chuanting held off the enemy alone for half an hour before the cavalry from Datong, Jizhou, and the Beijing garrison arrived; had they been even half a step later, the wagon corps might have been annihilated.

This is not due to the generals' negligence, but rather to poor communication and disorganized command. The marching order of each army and the time limit for rescue operations should be established, using signal cannons and flags as indicators, so that the entire army can be commanded as if by their own arms.

Regarding the issue of rewarding merit, while attributing the achievements to Datong is commendable, it must be done in accordance with established procedures. The casualties suffered by the Datong army are pitiful, but actual merit should be judged by "killing enemy soldiers, defending the city, and breaking through enemy lines." If merit is solely attributed to Datong now, it may dampen the morale of other armies. A "Military Merit Book" should be established to record in detail the achievements of each battalion in killing enemy soldiers, providing firearms support, and holding positions, ensuring clear rewards and punishments and maintaining unity within the army.

Your Majesty, although we won this battle, it was a victory achieved through great difficulty. Although the northern barbarians were defeated, their strength still remains. Our army only managed to win by virtue of the firearms of the wagon camp and the merits of our generals who fought to the death. How can we call it a great victory?

"Seeing Your Majesty's continuous acquisition of concubines and constant banquets, I fear Your Majesty has become complacent in your momentary victories and forgotten the greater concerns of the nation. The Shang dynasty's King Zhou perished due to his reliance on strength, and the Sui dynasty's Emperor Yang's arrogance led to its downfall. These lessons must be heeded!"

After speaking, Qin Liangyu knelt down with a thud. Zhu Youjian had been listening intently at first, but by the end he was annoyed. Honest advice is hard to swallow. Although he knew that Qin Liangyu was being loyal and doing it for his own good, he still felt uncomfortable.

Despite his distress, Zhu Youjian quickly stepped forward to help the old lady up, nodding repeatedly in agreement, indicating that he would definitely heed her advice, refrain from arrogance and impetuosity, and abstain from alcohol!

(End of this chapter)